Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch host tells us why boxing, eggs and saying no to diets make for a happy life
Your life is all about food – do you give much thought to your own eating habits?
The older I get, the more conscious I am about what I eat. Fundamentally, I don’t eat overly processed foods – that’s an important choice for me. I’ve made the swap from white rice and pasta to brown, and I use lots of grains in my cooking. Lentils are brilliant, too, and more people are eating quinoa these days. I eat loads of oily fish such as salmon, haddock and mackerel. These sorts of ingredients are a good starting point for anyone trying to eat more healthily – you can easily make a warm bean salad by chucking a can of mixed beans in a pan with some tomatoes, a bit of chilli and a sprinkle of fresh coriander, then serve it with a piece of grilled fish.
What’s your view on dieting?
As a nation we overeat because there’s so much temptation. The difference between healthy food and diet food drives me mad because there’s a mixed message. Eating food to be healthy is very different from eating food to lose weight. You can diet and be unhealthy. I know someone who lost a stone and a half eating Milky Ways because he was ‘allowed’ six a day, and as a chocolate lover he’d rather do that than eat a salad. Calories are calories, but being healthy is completely different.
Laura Day 